WITH THE LIGHTS of the city spread out below me, I stared out the window, sipping my whiskey, enjoying the way the rich flavor rolled around my tongue. The low lights reflected my condo in the large pane windows. Tidy, organized, everything in its place. Exactly the way I liked it. Needed it.
Behind me, I heard a light tap. I hit the button on the remote, unlocking the door, knowing who was waiting. Soft footfalls headed in my direction, and Dee’s reflection appeared in the glass. Turning, I offered her a smile and a tumbler of whiskey. I knew she’d like this one.
“Hey, neighbor.”
She shook her head, taking the glass from my hand and settling into the club chair. “You are such a dork. I live ten floors below you. I am not your neighbor.”
I shrugged. “Close enough.” I sat across from her on the sofa. “Seriously, are you settling in?”
She held up her whiskey, studied its dark golden color, then took a sip. Her eyes drifted shut as she swallowed. Her hand swept through her hair, the strawberry color catching the light. She was artless, sexy.
I liked it.
She opened her eyes. “Nice choice.”
“I knew you’d like it.”
She smiled and reclined her head. “I am settling in. I wasn’t expecting to be on my own, but it will be nice to have a home office to work from.”
“Still in shock?”
She chuckled. “I shouldn’t be, given it was Cami, but I am.”
“I think this was all on Aiden, which makes it the biggest shock of them all.”
We went to Vegas for a quick trip away. Everyone needed a break, and rather than the girls going on their own, we joined them. The first day was fun with sightseeing and dinner out. We went to a show and even did a little gambling. The next night, we ended up pairing off the way we usually did: Emmy and Bent, Cami and Aiden, and Dee and me.
Bent and Emmy went to another show. Dee and I checked out a whiskey bar we’d heard about, spending a few hours sipping some extraordinary samples and enjoying each other’s company.
Cami and Aiden spent the night doing the usual touristy things. They visited the Eiffel Tower, took a gondola ride, and watched the fountains dance. Then, Aiden being Aiden, he had gone for broke and, since we were in Vegas, married Cami.
They showed up at breakfast the next morning, and neither of them said a word. But they looked guilty, yet so happy, and I knew something was up. They simply ordered their meals, talked about the day’s plans, and acted as if nothing was amiss. Until Emmy spotted the rings on their hands.
“What the hell? Cami . . . are you . . . oh my God, are you married?”
Four sets of eyes snapped in their direction. Aiden lifted Cami’s hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The light glinted off the matching ring on his left hand.
“We are,” he stated.
We all gaped at them, shocked.
“Is it legal?” Dee asked, looking between Cami and Aiden. “You really got married?”
“Very legal.”
Suddenly, the table exploded. Hugs, kisses, backslaps, and congratulations were exchanged all around. Aiden looked like the happiest man on earth, and beside him, Cami beamed. When Emmy asked if they were going to have a real wedding, Cami shook her head.
“It was exactly what we wanted. Only us.” She smiled at Dee in apology. “We thought we’d renew our vows next year and bring everyone to join us.”
Dee covered her hand. “That sounds perfect. I’m happy for you.”
I had wondered then, the same way I wondered now, if Dee was as okay with the marriage as she seemed to be. In the weeks since we had returned, life had been busy with work, moving Cami in with Aiden, and moving Dee in to her new place in the building where I lived. We’d barely had time to see each other.
Or, in other words—fuck each other.
“You were very calm about the whole surprise wedding.”
She sipped her whiskey, contemplative. “I was a bit hurt, but then I realized it was Cami’s decision and her life. She was much too happy for me to be upset.” She huffed a long breath. “I only hope it wasn’t a rash decision they’ll both regret.”
I scowled, feeling the need to defend my friend. “Aiden loves Cami. He loves her so much it fucking terrified him. When he accepted what he was feeling, it changed him. She changed him—for the better. For the first time in his life, he accepted something good for himself. I don’t think you have to worry about any regrets from him.”
She tilted her head, studying me. “That was spoken with conviction.”
I shrugged. “The two of them work.”
“They do.” She grinned. “That was spoken like a true romantic, by the way. Which you insist you are not.”
I chuckled. “I have my moments. I’m okay with romance . . . for other people.”
“Me too.”
We stared at each other, not speaking. Gradually the air shifted, growing more intense. I stared at her over the rim of my tumbler.
“So, tell me, Deirdre, what are you wearing under that businesslike navy suit you have on?”
She loved it when I murmured her full name. No one used it but me, and I only uttered it when we were alone.
She traced the rim of her glass, eyeing me. “I’m sure you’d like to know.”
I shifted, my erection lengthening as I thought about it. Wondering what secret I would discover tonight.
Dee was a walking contradiction. Classic, dark suits, neutral-colored blouses. No-fuss hair. Simple makeup. No jewelry.
However, underneath the linen and cotton was an entirely different story.
Lacy push-up bras, tiny triangles that covered silky curls, and a sweet little cleft I knew intimately.
Satin, lace, silk, and sin.
Black, pink, red, every color of the rainbow.
Cutouts and high tops. Thongs, boy shorts, strapless, bustiers, stripes, polka dots, pin-tucked, bedazzled, and sexy.
She had them all. She was sex on legs.
“Why don’t you show me?” My eyes raked down her body.
She stood, her fingers drifting to the pearl button under her neck. I settled into the cushions, anticipation waking every nerve in my body.
“Slowly.”
She tilted her head.
“I want it slow tonight, baby.”
She shrugged out of her jacket, the fabric a dark pool on the floor.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” My cock grew harder as she moved. Slow. Sensuous. Just the way I instructed her.
“Do I get a reward?”
I palmed my erection. “You get me. Buried so deep inside you, you’ll feel me for days.”
Her blouse joined her jacket, showcasing a cream lace bustier encasing her torso that made me groan. Her breasts were high, ready to spill over the tight fabric. I wanted to bite them. When her skirt fell, revealing the thigh highs attached with tiny straps of lace and a silk thong, I almost lost it.
I widened my legs. “Come here.”
She stood between my knees. I trailed my fingers up and down her thighs, tracing the ribbons and lace, teasing the satin of her skin. I jerked her forward, burying my face in her pussy, breathing her in.
She whimpered as I pressed my mouth to her, hard.
“You want me. I can smell how much you want me.”
She dug her fingers into my scalp, lifting my face.
“Yes. But the rules still apply, Maddox. Sex. That’s all it is. Nothing has changed.”
I smiled grimly. “I wouldn’t expect it to.”
“Then fuck me.”
Never breaking eye contact with her, I shredded her panties. Tore them away from her skin with one firm yank of my fist.
I would fuck her. I would fuck her because that was what we did.
To the outside world, we were the same: cool, calm, and collected. Detached.
When we came together, alone, things changed. We were relentless. Explosive and insatiable.
She fucked with my control.
I fucked her to get it back.
That was our game. It always had been.
Until one of us changed the rules and fell in love.